Japan's Continued Investment in Hydrogen: Challenges and Opportunities
Key Ideas
  • Japan's SMBC remains committed to clean hydrogen despite challenges, emphasizing its importance across various sectors like power, mobility, chemical, and steel.
  • The country's strategic energy plan focuses on using hydrogen and ammonia to decarbonize its fossil-based thermal power by 2040, with support from industry players and financial institutions.
  • Analysts caution that while hydrogen is crucial for hard-to-abate sectors, cost-efficiency and energy losses in production should be considered, encouraging prioritization of electrification in some cases.
  • Challenges like defining 'low-carbon hydrogen' standards, domestic production locations, and international procurement complexities highlight the need for stringent regulations and strategic investments in green hydrogen.
While many hydrogen projects face suspensions globally, Japan's commitment to clean hydrogen remains strong. Japanese megabank SMBC's group chief sustainability officer emphasized the importance of hydrogen due to its potential applications in multiple sectors like power, mobility, chemical, and steel. Japan's energy plan aims to use hydrogen and ammonia to decarbonize its power segment by 2040, with a significant portion of electricity needs being met by these sources. SMBC has been actively promoting hydrogen initiatives and leads a fund dedicated to developing a low-carbon hydrogen supply chain. However, analysts warn about the higher costs and energy losses associated with hydrogen production, urging countries to prioritize electrification where feasible. The challenges of defining 'low-carbon hydrogen', choosing domestic production sites, and navigating international procurement issues underscore the importance of strict regulations and targeted investments in green hydrogen. This article showcases Japan's dedication to hydrogen despite hurdles, highlighting both the opportunities and complexities in achieving a carbon-neutral future.
ADVANCEH2

Our vision is to be the world's leading online platform for advancing the use of hydrogen as a critical piece needed to deliver net-zero initiatives and the promise of a clean H2 energy future.

© 2025 AdvanceH2, LLC. All rights reserved.